metropoulos



e. D. METROPOULOS.

. WAR VEHICLE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 17. 1918. 1,318,898.

Patented Oct. 14,1919.

' 3 SHEETSSHEETI G. D. METROPOULOS,

WAR VEHICLE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. I7, 1918.

Patented Oct. 14, 1919.

3 SHEETSSHEET 2.

\ law w wwfi QN mu m J Q S 7 NM G. D. METRUPOULOS.

WAR VEHICLE. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. !7,-l9l8.

Patent ed Oct. 14,1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3 readily by a gunner within the turret.

GEORGE n. ME'rnorouLos, or BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA.

WAR-VEHICLE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed September 1' 7, 1918. SetialNo, 254,454.

and useful War-Vehicle, of which the fol- 'lowing is a specification.

The device forming the subject matter of this application is a motor propelled vehiole adapted to housed in time of warfare, and oneobject of the invention is to provide novel means for mounting a rotatable gun turretin such a 'waythat'it can be turXed nother object of the invention is to provide novel means whereby blades may be advanced at the sides'of thevehicle for the purpose of cleaving down the enemy during acharge.

I have shown but one form of my invention, and changes may be made therein, with-I in the scope ofthekill of a mechanic, without departing from, the spirit.

In the drawings :'.-Figure 1 shows, in side elevation, a war vehicleconstructed in accordance with the. invention; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section, elevation; Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken through the body of the vehicle; Fig. t is a cross section on the line 44 of Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a cross section on the line 55 of Fig. 2; Fig. 6 is a' perspective disclosing one of the turret brakes; Fig. 7 isan elevation of the gun mount; Fig. 8 is a sectional detail depicting one of the means whereby the turret is prevented from swinging laterally; Fig. 9 is a perspective showing the means whereby theupper end of thesupporting post for the turret is connected with the turret; Fig. 10 is a perspective delineating the means for operating the knives; and Fig. 11 is a sectional detail showing the means for limiting the lateral movement of the lower end of the turret.

The war, vehicle claimed comprises an armored body 1, having entrance doors 2. A

latform 3 is located within the body 1 and orms a part thereof, the platform being sustained on supports 4. There is a seat 'ing mechanism, 8

ole are shown at wherein parts appear in 5 on the platform 3. A frontaxle 6 isas sembled with the body-1 and carrles dirigible forward wheels 7 controlled .by. a steer- .termin'ating in a hand wheel 9 accessible from'the seat 5,,which is a drivers' seat) An engine 10 is located in front of the seat 5 and may extend through an opening 11 in the platform 3, the engine being supported at 1'2, in'any suitable way, on the body 1. The rear wheels of the vehi- 14. and are operatively connected with the engine 10 by means of the driving mechanism 15, which. is of any desired kind. The numeral 16 marks a. lever controlling the engine 10, directly or indirectly, as lscommon in the art.

The forward portion of the body 1 is supplied with peep holes 17 backed by strong transparent plates 18, and through these holes, the driver occupying the seat 5 may peer, in order to direct the course of the vehicle. The 'top of the body 1 may be supplied with ventilating openings 19, guarded by inwardly extended lips 20, so curved'as to direct backwardly, out of the openings 19, bullets-fired thereinto. There are ventilating openings 21 in the base of the body 1, guarded by lips 22 of the kind mentioned. The platform-3 has ventilating openings 23.

Patented Oct. 14:, 1919.

The vehicle comprises a gunners turret denoted generally by the numeral 24 and located to. therear of the drivers seat 5, the turret being rotatable about a vertical axis. The turret 24 is a composite structure and includes abase ring 25 provided with spokes 26 carrying a ball race 27 coacting with balls bearing 31 secured to the-platform 3, the

28 cooperating with a ball race 29 having "a rectangular opening 30 receiving a thrust thrust bearing having a recess 32 in its top.

carries standards 33 and 34, the

the back of the gunner when the gunner sits on a seat 40 carried by a shoulder 39 on the post 37. The lower end of the post 37 is supplied with a reduced stem 37 journa-led in the recess 32 of the thrust bearing 31. Theupper end of the post 37 is squared as shown at 44 and is received against rotation, but loosely, in the recess 36 ofthe top portions of the standards 33 and 34. There are brackets 43011 the upper end of the post 37, and the brackets may be connected to the part 35 which is common to all of the standards 33 and 34. A metal dome 42 is attached to the top portions of the standards 33 and 34, to rotate therewith, and extends downwardly into the top-0f the body 1, the dome being provided with ventilating perforations 100. The dome'42 carries a ring 45 on which rollers 46 are journaled to turn on vertical axes, the rollers 'coacting with an annular track 47 secured "to the body 1 about the opening wherein the turret 24 rotates; The rollers 46 and the track 47 limit the lateral movement of the turret 24 when the turret rotates with the post 37. The track 47 and portions of the rollers 46 are overhung by an annular guard 48 on the body 1, the guard serving to protect the rollers and the track 47 from projectiles, the guard coacting with the rollers 46 to prevent the turret 24 from jumping upwardly.

' The turret 24. has peep holes 49 in its dome 42, some of these holes being disposed in the wider standard 34, the holes being backed by a strong transparent plate 50; in the dome 42 and in the Standard 34 there is formed an opening 51 through which projects a weapon, which may be a machine gun 52 carried by a mount 53 mounted to swing at 54, horizontally, on a support 55 pivoted at 56, for swinging movement/on a vertical axis, to a bracket 57 mounted on the standard 34. It will be seen that the gun 52 has practically a universal movement. The standards 33 and 34 are connected by shelves 5S on which the ammunition-for the gun 52 may be hung. The exploded ammunition may be thrown backwardly into the compartment existing behind the turret 24 and above the platform 3. The standard 34 car ries an inwardly projecting horizontally curved arm 60 and there are grips 61 which project inwardly from some of the standards Brake levers (32 are fulcrun ed-on hangers 63 secured to the base ring 25 of the turret 24. The brake lever 62 is' swung upwardly by a spring .102, but may be pressed downwardly when pedal pressure is applied to afoot plate 64 on the inner end of the lever, the intermediate portion 103 of the lever thus being made .to bear upon the platform 3,

Openings65 are fashioned in the sides of the body 1 and through the openings, blades 66 project. There may be any number of '1 is equipped with a openings and blades, and the blades may be as long as desired. The blades are fulcrumed at (37, intermediate their ends, on the platform 3, the inner ends of the blades being pivoted to rigid connections (33, certain of which are pivoted to crank arms 69 on transverse shafts 70 journaled in bearings 71 on the platform 3. Levers 72 are attached to the inner ends of the shafts 70 and are located on opposite sides of the drivers seat 5 .Latch mechanisms 73 on the levers coact with segments 74 on the platform 3. The forward end of the body rigid front blade 75 and there is a rigid rear blade 76 on the hind end of the body 1, the blade 76 being of approximate crescent shape, if desired.

The driver occupying the seat 5, directs the movement of the vehicle and controls the engine 10. The gunner occupies the seat 40 'on the post. 37 and manipulates the gun The gunner may brace himself against the arm 60 and may take hold of one of the grips G1, his foot being thrust against the platform .3. In this way, the post 37 and the turret 24 may be rotated together, so that. the gun 52 may be shifted in azimuth.

The driver may rotate the shafts 70 by means of the levers 72, the crank arms 69 operating the connections and the latter swinging the blades 66 inwardly or out wardly. The blades 66 may be locked in advanced or retracted positions, by engaging the latch nechanisms 73 with the segments 74. The blades 66 are swung outwardly during a charge, and will create obvious havoc and mortality among the enemy.

1. A war vehicle comprising a body; a gun turret; a post'supporting the turret cen trally for rotation, the ends of the post being in vertical alinement, and the intermediate portion of the post being offset to form a seatback; and a seat carried by the post and cooperating with theback, the center of the seat being disposed in approximate 'alinement with the ends of the post.

2. In a device of the class described, a war vehicle comprising a body; a gun turret; a post having its upper end engaged with the turret for rotation along with the turret, the lower end of the post being journaled on the body; and a seat carried by the post, the turret being relatively light, whereby a person occupying the seat may, by footthrust, rotate both the post and the turret.

A war vehicle. comprising a body; a gun turret; a post supporting the turret centrally for rotation on the body; a gunners seat. on the post; and a brake pedal fulcrumed on the turret and adapted to coact with the body to serve as a brake for the turret, the pedal being accessible to a person occupying the seat.

1,s1e,sms 4 n 3 4- A War vehicle comprising a wheel.- In testimony-thet I cleim-the'foregoing es mounted body; blades fulcrumed interme+ myown, I have hereto aifixed my signature 1 0,

diate theirends on the body; a connection in the presence of two witnesses; uniting the inner ends of the blades a shaft 5 jou'rnaled on the body and provided at its GEORGE f E P y I outer end with a crank urn pivoted to the 'VVitnesses: v

conneotlon; and means canned by the lnner MAYSON B. LAw'roN, end of the shaftforectuatlng the same. Ivy E. SIMPSON. 

